Blogroll

Archives

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, December 12, 2011 — Barix AG, a pioneer in IP audio, control and monitoring, is launching its first, free iOS app for use on the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. The new app, Reflector, is a mobile receiver for the Barix Reflector Service, allowing customers to monitor their audio streams on the go.

The Barix Reflector Service is typically used by radio broadcasters and service providers to stream audio between two or more points with tremendous ease of use. The service essentially offers IP streaming without the complexity of IP, simplifying the setup process for audio transport connections.

The Reflector app taps into the main Reflector Service audio feed to allow real-time listening and monitoring of contact closure status and network statistics. This gives broadcasters and service providers access to a wealth of information about their streams and channels from any location, following the ease of use concept.

The Reflector iOS application is now available through Apple’s iTunes store free of charge. Users simply download the app and register their mobile devices with the Reflector Service http://www.reflectorservice.com/ to begin monitoring audio feeds within seconds.

“The Barix Reflector Service is already ahead of the curve as something unique for the radio broadcast industry, making it simple to use IP for studio-to-transmitter links (STL) and remote contribution,” said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and Founder of Barix. “The Reflector app just moves the bar a bit further, allowing broadcasters to listen and check streams from a common mobile device with trivial setup and at no cost.”

In a typical setup, the Reflector Service is paired with Barix Audio over IP hardware at the send and receive points, creating a plug-and-play installation that can have broadcasters streaming audio over IP links within minutes. The service is hosted by StreamGuys, a streaming media provider and content delivery network that often works with Barix in radio broadcast streaming applications. More information can be found at http://www.barixreflector.com.

We’re really excited to announce the first of many Apps to be coming your way, The Barix Reflector iPhone app is now available for download from the App Store!

The app enables Reflector customers to listen in to their station, check the status of all their registered devices, see stats for network performance and monitor the state of the encoder contact closures. Broadcast engineers on the go can stay informed!

When Barix announced the Reflector Service, our customers wondered what this would be useful for …

Barix is well known for its Audio over IP streaming products such as the Exstreamer. So far so good – the devices are perfectly useful and reliable for a host of IP Audio applications, from STL (Studio Transmitter Link) to Paging, Intercom and Surveillance applications.

The AoIP (Audio over IP) devices from Barix are easy to configure and use, but setting up Audio Distribution over the Internet is not very easy for non- IT techies.

In addition, “static IP” addresses are needed for a reliable link – something often not easily available from the ISP, if at all, or at a cost.

Barix realized there is something to do .. and invented the Reflector Service. Because we are not hosting providers – this is not our core know how – we teamed up with the leading, high quality partner Streamguys to provide a reliable service to Broadcasters and other customers who easily want to set up a point-to point or point-to-multipoint audio distribution solution over the internet.

StreamGuys are a professional hosting organisation with all the necessary infrastructure in place to operate and support the service 24/7. Customers who are interested in the Reflector Service just need to purchase a Barix encoder and a Barix decoder device (for example, 2x the Exstreamer 500, which can serve both purposes). Depending on the device type, firmware might need to be loaded to support the Reflector service (Exstreamer 500 comes preloaded !).

From there, things are very simple – at least for 90% of the customers:

- Install the encoder and the decoder at the locations between which you want to establish the audio feed

- Go to the reflector website, set up your project, add the two MAC addresses of the device, specify encoder and decoder

- you can do some tweaks in regards to the encoding quality, attenuation, output level and buffering, if you dislike the defaults

.. and that’s it ! The devices will, within seconds, start establishing the tunnel for audio and contact closure forwarding and streaming will commence.

The “zero config” capability of the devices, of course, only works if your local network where these are installed supports DHCP and a “free view” of the internet. This is the case in most places where a DSL or cable router is used. If you need to manually configure an IP address, net mask, router, you can of course do so using a standard web browser.

StreamGuys will then contact the customer and arrange all the necessary details.

So, do not limit your imagination about where to use the Reflector Service to Broadcast, Studio Transmitter Links ! The service can universally be used where Audio needs to be reliably transported from “a” to “b” over the Internet, being it for contribution, commentary or STL in the Broadcast area, being it for remote surveillance, or being it to deliver Audio to a remote bus or train station … wherever you want to distribute Audio over the Internet, the Barix Reflector solves the mystery of IP and lets you focus on the important things of your business !